Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten has revealed she recently nearly died from having "dangerously high" calcium levels in her body. The soap star opened up about her near-death experience on ITV's Lorraine. "It was only two months ago that this all happened really," she said.
Oaten said her life-threatening condition was years in the making, however. She explained: "I had not been feeling well for a while to be honest but I didn't practice what I preached and I just put it down to one side. "We'd had a big funding cut for the charity that I am CEO of and I'd put it down to stress and the pressure of that.
I was also doing a morning breakfast radio show so I was getting up early at half past four and doing my full time job and then auditions so I just put it down to nausea, feeling tired. "The star was also experiencing bouts of "stomach cramps", which she attributed to anxiety and stress. READ MORE: 'Should be stopped': Professor warns against taking mineral supplement - 'bad' for heartOaten then got Covid, which "unearthed this serious kidney syndrome that I had called milk-alkali syndrome", she revealed.
Milk-alkali syndrome is a condition in which there is a high level of calcium in the body. Oaten found out in hospital she had calcium carbonate in her body as a result of taking too many Rennie tablets over the years.